· pdf filetitle ॥ सार्थनवग्रहस्तोत्रम् ॥ .....

॥ साथरनवगरहसतोतरम ॥.. navagraha stotram withmeaning and commentary ..

sanskritdocuments.org

May 10, 2017

.. navagraha stotram with meaning and commentary ..

॥ साथरनवगरहसतोतरम ॥

Sanskrit Document Information

Text title : navgarahastotra with commentary and variations

File name : navagrahacomment.itx

Location : doc_z_misc_navagraha

Language : Sanskrit

Subject : philosophy/hinduism/religion/astrology

Transliterated by : N.Balasubramanian bbalu at satyam.net.in

Proofread by : N.Balasubramanian bbalu at satyam.net.in

Latest update : November 22, 2006

Send corrections to : [email protected]

Site access : http://sanskritdocuments.org

This text is prepared by volunteers and is to be used for personal study andresearch. The file is not to be copied or reposted without permission, forpromotion of any website or individuals or for commercial purpose.

Please help to maintain respect for volunteer spirit.

May 10, 2017

sanskritdocuments.org


॥ साथरनवगरहसतोतरम ॥॥शरीरसत॥

॥ अथ नवगरह सतोतरम ॥We need the blessings of the nine planets known as Navagraha’s tohave a life that is free from various types of problems that may troubleus from time to time. The following verses are in praise of the planets.

The planets are not the planets we talk about normally, but the wordrefers to the presiding deities or devatas. The verses were found in anold palm-leaf manuscript. Rough translations of the verses are given toenable the reader to recite the verses with the knowledge of the meaning.It is said that reciting a stotra with an understanding of the meaning ismore beneficial than mere reading of the text.Some explanatorynotes are given.

In these notes VS stands for Vishnu Sahasranama Stotram and SS forSiva Sahasranama Stotram (Mahabarata version) and SS (PP) stands for SivaSahasranama Stotram (Padma Purana version) and SA for Siva 108 Namavali.Those who want to know more about the nine planets may like togo through the songs by the great carnatic composerMuthuswamy DikShitar. He was an expert on our traditions and a veritablestore house of knowledge. He gives a wealth of details about theplanets in his Navagraha songs. There is another NavagrahaStoram by Vyasa which is popular. This is available with meaningin this web site. Many other stotras are available underthe heading Navagraha in this site. All are informative and givedetails about the planets.

आिदतयगरह सतोतरम । Hymn in praise of the Sun God.प कजलक- सकाशम लोकसाकष जगतग म ।सवररोगहर दव आिदतय परणमामयहम ॥ १॥

navagrahacomment.pdf 1


I bow to Aditya, whose complexion resembles the filament of a lotus flower,and who is a witness to all our actions, who is a preceptor to theentire world, and who can remove all diseases.

Note. Aditya is another name of the Sun God. सरः, सयरः,अयरमा,आिदतयः says the Amara. Krishna says thatHe is the sun among the bright objects. जयोतषा रिव-रशमान। (Gita. 10-20).There are references to the Sun in Vishnu and Siva Sahasranamas. Some are:िवहायसगतः- िवहायस गतः आसरयो असयत िवहायसगतः =one who travelsin the sky (No.876): रिवः- रसानादतत इत रिवः आिदतयातमा (No.881) andthe one who goes on his path in a chariot drawn by seven horses.(No:829) as स वाहनः- स अ ा वाहनानयसयत स वाहनः ।सयरः (He is of the form of Surya or Sun. SS (64).रिवः SS (630).हयर ः-हयरः अतवगवािहनः अ ाःयसय सः हयर ः सयरः तदातमा। SS(No.212). One whose horsesare very fast.

Sri Rudram in Anuvakam I, Rik 7 and 8 refer to the fact that theLord manifests Himself as the Sun so as to be visible andeasily accessible to the people for worshipping.असौ यसतामरो अ ण उत बभरः समङगलः ।य च माग दरा अभतो िदकष ।शरता सहसरशोऽवषाअ हड ईमह ।असौ योऽवसपरत नीलगरीवो िवलोिहतः ।उतन गोपा अ श श दहायरः ।उतन िव ाभतािन स ो मडयात नः॥This says that the Sun, who is copper coloured when he rises, thenslightly rosy-red, then golden yellow, this highly auspiciousand beneficient one is verily Rudra. The sun is stated to bethe visible form of God. The Lord in His true form is िनगरणः ।really without any attributes and so is formless.This pure form isextremely difficult to comprehend. In His सगण form, as

2 sanskritdocuments.org


Lord endowed with attributes like form can be understood by onlycertain devotees who are conversant with the shastras. In His form asthe sun He is visible to all. This mantra says that as the sunHe is visible to the cowherds and women fetching water. These twostand as examples of people who are generally considered illiterateand naive. Really speaking, the whole world stands ignorant andon par with the cowherds and the women carrying water in thematter of understanding the Lord. But still, the kindly Lord standseasy to be seen by all as the sun. All life depend on him.He announces the dawn of the day, vivifies all beings so that theymay go about their work. So the scriptures say that He is the Selfof the world. सयर आतमा जगतः तसथष । We cannotimagine a world without the sun, a world plunged into utter darkness.It will be a veritable hell. Perhaps, keeping such a view. the

Isavasyopanishad calls hell as the sunless worlds enveloped inblinding darkness.असयारः नाम त लोकाः अनधन तमसावताःलोकसाकष। = Witness to what we do. It is said in Mahabharata(Adi parva) that one may be naive enough to think that no oneknows when he perpetrates a foul deed. But the devas and theOne within are watching him. Besides there are other witnesses.They are the sun, the moon, the god of wind, the god of fire, thesky, the earth, the water, one’s own mind, the god of death,the day and the night, the two junctions of the day andthe night, and the god of Dharma.मनयत पापक कतवा न क त व तत-मािमत ।िवद नत चन दवा य वानतरप षः ॥अिदतय-चनदराविनलानलौ च ौभरिम-रापो दय यम ।अह राितर उभ च सधय धमर जानात नरसय वततम ॥Manu also says something on these lines.मनयनत व पापकतो न क तपशयतीत नः ।



तासत दवाः परपशय नत सवसयवानतर प षः ॥ौभर िमरापो दय चनदराकारिगनयमािनला ।

राितरः सनधयE च धमर वततजञाः सवरदिहनाम ॥The Lord witnesses everything. So He is called साकषी ।साकषी- साकषात अवयवधानन सव प बोधन ईकषत पशयत सवरिमत साकषीsays the (VS15). also:सवरलोचनः one who witnesses everything.SS(820).सवर-रोगहरम । (One who removes all diseases. We are told topray to the Sun God for good health.आरोगय भासकरात इचछत।so goes the saying. Health is the most precious possession one can have.

In its abscence one cannot be happy even though he has other good thingsof life like money at his disposal. Not only it makes him unhappy but

it affects him in other ways too. A sick body cannot house a healthy

mind. said Swamy Vivekananda. A sick man cannot work efficiently.He cannot even concentrate and say his prayers properly. Keepingall this in mind Kalidasa said in his Kumarasambhavam that theforemost requisite for the performance of dharma is a sound body:शरीर आ खल धमर-साधनम ।It is said that the sins committed in previous births afflict onein the form of diseases.पवर जनम-कत पापवयाध- पण बाधत। The sage Manu gives some details ofdiseases one gets because of sins committed by him.इह द रतः कचतकचत पवरकतसतथा ।परापनव नत दरातमानो नरा पिवपयरयम ॥सवणरचौरः कौनखय सरापाः शयावदनतताम ।बर हा कषयरोिगतव दौ मयर ग तलपगः ॥िपशनः पौतना￭सकय सचकः पतवकतरताम ।धानयचौरोऽङगहीनतव आतरकय त िमशरकः ॥अ हतार आमयािव व मौकय वागपहारकः ।व ापहारकः य पङगता अ हारकः ॥



एव कमरिवशषण जायनत सि ग हताः ।जडमकानधबधरा िवकताकतयासतथा॥Manu classifies the sins into various categories based on their gravity. Heterms five as महापातकािन। or great sins. He says that the cure for thediseases can be had by means of expiatory acts. These acts includetaking medicines, performing special sacrifices, homas, japa,harity etc.. But in these modern times it may be difficult,if not impossible, to perform these prescribed rites. Our shastrassay that in all such cases the remedy lies in chanting Lord’s namesor thinking of Him.पराय ततानयशषािन तपःकमारतमकािनव ।यािन तषा अशषाणा शरीकषणनसमरण परम ॥This is a verse we say daily with our prayers and says that repeatingSri Krishna’s names is the expiation for all sins. So the Lordhas the following names. पापनाशनः ।क ततः प￭जतो धयातः समतः पापरा￮श नाशयन पापनाशनः ।पकषोपवासाद यत पाप प षसय परणशयत ।परणायाम शतनव तत पाप नशयत नणाम ॥पराणायामसहसरण यत पाप नशयत नणा ।कषणमातरण तत पाप हरधयारनात परणसयत॥ इतवदधाशातातप॥ VS(992).ह रः - समतमातरण पसा पाप ससार वा हरतीतह रः ।VS(351)For this reason, Siva has the name Hari. SS (PP) (No.542) and alsoNo.96(SA). पिवतरः- पावनः- परमसत पमान धयातो ःक ततः शरतः प￭जतः समतः परणतः स सवारनपापाननमलयतीत। पषकरपिवतरमह िमत शरतः॥ SS (PP)(No 90).तीथरः- यथा परयगािदसनानपानािदना पावयत एव समतमातरण सवरनपावयतीतयथरः ।(SS)(PP)(No.224).



सोमगरह सतोतरम ।Hymn in praise of the Moon God.

कषीरोदाणरव-सभत अितरनतर-सम वम ।नमािम शशन दव शभोमरकट भषणम ॥ २॥I bow down to the God of Moon who was born from the ocean of milk andonce appeared from the eyes of sage Atri and is is an ornament to the headof Lord Siva.The moon is called शशन because we can see a mark like aशश or hare or rabbit in it. So it is also known asशशधरः । or मगागः । as some saythat the mark resembles a deer. One of the names of the Lord (VSNo.285) isशशिबनदः- शश इव िबनदः लाञचनमसयत शशिबनदः चनदरःत त परजाः पषणातीत शशिबनदः । and चनदरः । SS (No-63)पषणािम चौषधीः सवारः सोमो भतवारसातमकः (गीता १५। १३) इत भगव चनात।The moon said to have come out of the ocean of milk(कषीरोदः ।) when it was churned by the devas and asuras to get the nectar.अितरनतर-सम वम । It is said in the Puranas that the sage Atriproduced the moon from his eye, while he was practising penance. Thepoet Kalidasa refers to this in his Raghuvamsa (2-75). While describingQueen SudakShina’s conception he saysअथ नयनसमतथ जयोतरतर रव ौः

सरस रिदव तजो वि िन तमशम ।नरपतकलभतय गभरमादतत राजञी

ग भरभिनिव लोकपालनभावः ॥ ७५॥The commentator Mallinatha says: अितर महषः नयनयोःसमतप नयनसमतथम । जयोत रव । चनदरिमवतयथरः । चनदरसयअितरनतरो ततवमकत ह रवश- नतराभया वा र ससराव दशधाोतयिददशः । तदगभरिवधना ा िदशो दवयो दधसतदा॥



समतय धारयामासनर च ताः समशकनवन। स ताभयःसहसवात िदगभयो गभरः परभािवतः ॥ पपात भासयलोकानशीताशः सवरभावनः ॥ इत॥शभोमरकट भषणम । The moon looks like an ornament onthe matted locks of Siva. So He has the names: शशशखरः ।-शशाकारो लाञचनिवशषः शशः, सोऽसयासतीत शशी,स शकरो यसत ततोकतः । SS(108), SA( 5), andसोमिवभषः । - िवश ा भषा - िवभषा, सोमः िवभषाभषण यसय स सोमिवभषः चनदरधरः ।चनदरललाटाय क ततवासस नम इत शरतः ॥ SS (PP) (26).Krishna says (Gita-10-21) that He is the moon among the stars.नकषतराणा-मह शशीअङगारक सतोतरम । Hymn in praise of Angaraka.धरणी-गभर-सभत िव तपज जगतपतम ।कमार शिकत-हसत च मगल परणमामयहम ॥ ३॥I salute the God Mangala (Mars) who was born of earth, who shines likea cluster of lightning, who is the Lord of the earth and is the same as theKartikeya bearing the weapon known as Shakti.

बध गरह सतोतरम । Hymn in praise of Budha.िपरयग कनका-भास पणापरतम शभम ।सौमय सौमय-गणोपत त बध परणमामयहम ॥ ४ ॥अितरः ।SS(70). He is of the form of Budha - descendant of Atri.

I prostrate to Budha - the son of Soma or Moon - who is effulgent like thesaffron and gold, who is incomparably handsome, and who has charmingqualities.

बहसपत सतोतरम । Hymn in praise of Brihaspathi.दवाना च ऋषीणा च ग कनकस भम ।



बदधपणर ितरलोकश त ग परणमामयहम ॥ ५॥I bow down to Guru (planet Jupitar) who is the preceptor of gods and sages,who is radiant like gold, who has complete wisdom and is the Lord ofthe three worlds.Krishna says in Gita (10-24) that He is Brihaspati amongst priests.परोधसा च मखय मा िवदध पाथर बहसपतम ।The name Brihaspathi is synonymous for one who is very intelligent and isskilled in oratory. Amara gives his names as follows:बहसपतः सराचायरः गीषपतः धषणो ग ः ।जीवाङगरसो वाचसपतः चतरशख णडजः ॥शकर सतोतरम । Hymn in praise of Sukra.शदध-सपिटक-सकाश दतयाना परणत ग म ।सवरशा -परवकतार भागरव परणमामयहम ॥ ६॥I salute Sukra (the planet Venus), the son of Bhrugu, who is sparkling likea pure crystal, who is the foremost preceptor of the asuras andwho is adept in explaining all the shastras.दवासरग ः । SS(937) - He is of the form of preceptor of devasand asuras (i.e.) Brihaspathi and Sukra.Krishna says in Gita (10-37) that amongst those with sharp intellectHe is Sukracharya. कवीन-मशना किवः ।Sukra was the son of sage Bhrugu. He was an expert in yoga shastra andknew the art of reviving the dead, known as Sanjivini Vidya.

शन र सतोतरम । Hymn in praise of Shani.नीलाजन समाकार रिवपतर महागरहम ।छाया-मातारणड-सभत त नमािम शन रम ॥ ७॥I bow down to Shani (Saturn) whose complexion resembles the dark pigment,the son of Sun God who is a prime planet, and who was born ofChaya Devi to Sun God.शिनः SS(65). He is of the form of Shani.



राह सतोतरम । Hymn in praise of Rahu.अधरकाय महावीयर चनदर-भासकर-मदरनम ।￬सिहका-गभर-सभत त राह परणमामयहम ॥ ८॥I salute Rahu who has half the body, who has great valour, who hidesthe sun and the moon and who was born of Simhika.

Rahu was a demon, son of Viprachitti and Simhika. At the time the nectar,that was got by churning of the ocean was being served, he disguised himselfand tried to get a share of it. But he was detected by Surya and Chandra.They informed Vishnu who as Mohini was serving the nectar. Vishnusevered the head. But since he had tasted a little of the nectar,the head became immortal. It is said to wreck its revenge byseizing them at the time of their conjunction and opposition whichcauses the eclipse. This is said in Sri Bhagavata Purana. (8-9-24,25,26).

दव लङगपरतचछ ः सवभारनदवससिद।परिव ः सोममिपबत चनदराकारभया च सचतः ॥ २४॥चकरण कषरधारण जहार िपबतः शरः ।ह रसतसय कबनदसत सधया ािवतोऽपतत॥ २५॥शरसतवमरता नीतमजो गरहचीकपत।यसत पवरण चनदराकारवभधावत वरधीः ॥गरहः SS(67). He is of the form of Rahu who seizes.

कत सतोतरम । Hymn in praise of Ketu.पलाल धमसकश तारक-गरह-मसतकम ।रौदर रौदरतर घोर त कत परणमामयहम ॥ ९॥I salute Ketu whose complexion is of the colour of smoke emanatingfrom burning of straw, who is the chief of the stars and planets,who is very cruel and of frightful appearance.कतः SS(66). He is of the form of Ketu.



समि सतोतरम पराथरना च । Hymn in praise of all and prayer.कलयाणािन नभोमणः सल लत क त कलाना िनधः

शौयर मातनयः बध बधता जीवश-चर-जीिवताम ।सामराजय भगजो-ऽकर जो िवजयता राहः बहकषरता

कतयरचछत वाचत मम फल सव गरहाः सादराः ॥ १०॥Let the Sun give me all prosperity, the Moon excellent fame, Angaraka valour,Budha wisdom, Guru long life, Sukra kingdom, Shani victory, Rahu attractivenature and Ketu all desires.Let all the planets give me support.

उ ासन कषमापण च । Giving leave and praying for forgiveness.नयनात रकता-नयप रसपटिन कमारण यानीह मया कतािन।सवारण चतािन मम कषमधव परयात त ाः पनरागमाय ॥ ११॥There might have been deficiencies or excesses or lack of clarity in the ritesI have performed. Kindly bear with them. Please go happily and return.

पराथरना। Prayer.अनयथा शरण ना सत यय म शरण सदा।तसमातका णय भावन रकषधव गह-नायकाः ॥ १२॥I have no other refuge. You are always my protection. Therefore, may you,the lords of the planets kindly protect me.

CONCLUDING REMARKS.

The nine planets mentioned here are said to give auspicious or inauspiciousresults to one as per the individual’s karma or past actions. Bypropitiating them, it is said that one can either get favourableresults in enhanced form or malefic effects with reduced severity.So we have the practice of worshipping them in the temples regularyand particularly on certain days dedicated to them, like Saturday isthe day specially chosen to worship god Saturn.Let us now look at what is said about such worships in our shastras.The scriptures talk of this subject at two different levels. One is at the



वयावहा रक or transactional level or the level at which we doour work or go about doing business in this world. The otheris at the पारमाथका level or at the level of reality or truth.Let us call them as level 1 and 2.

Speaking at level1 first, the scriptures aver that the Lord createdthe devas and assigned them their duties and conferred on them thecapability necessary to perform their duties.किवमरनीषी प रभः सवयभः यथातथयतोऽथारत वयदधातशा तीभयः समाभयः ।(Isavasyopanishad.No.8). The various deities perform their assignedduties deligently as the Lord iskeeping a close watch over them. This is also said in the Kathopanishad.भयादसयािगनसतपत भयात तपत सयरः । भयािदनदर वायमतयधारवत पञचमः॥From Its fear; the fire burns, the sun generates heat; again fromIts fear Indra, Vayu and Death run around, busy in their respectivejobs. The Taittiriyopanishad (Anuvaka 8) says the same thing.भीषसमा ातः पवत। भीषोदत सयरः ।भीषासमादिगन नदर । मतयधरवत पञचम इत।Thus, the Lord is the creator and also the controller of variousdevatas. Because of this, He gets the namesमहादवः and मह रः ।.The Upanishads to some extent and the Puranas to a greater extenttalk about the deities. They say they have supernatural powersto bless us with health, wealth and such material benefits.Because of this people have developed the habit of worshippingdifferent deities.People choose to worship a particular deity because they think that deitycan fulfil their specific desires. In this way they may worship theplanets to ward of evil effects predicted by an astrologer.Similarly, one may worship



Goddess Laksmi to get wealth or Sarasvathi to gain knowledge.The puranas and other scriptures give the method of worship also.It is also possible that one is attracted to a particular deitybecause of past tendencies called vasanas.जनम￭जरत ससकार िवशषण says Sankara in his commentary on Gita.The Lord Krishna reveals a secret in Gita (Chapter 7) about worshippingvarious deities. He says that He is Himself in the form of all deities(not only planets). But some people are not aware of this truth and asa result of this ignorance they worship different deities, assuming thatone is different from the other. So worship offered to a deity in anyform is in fact worship offered toHim only. Only the names and forms are different.यऽपयनय-दवता-भकता यजनत शरदधया नवताः ।तऽिप मामव कौनतय यज नतयवध-पवरकम ॥ (Gita-9.23)

The results one gets as the fruit of the worship is, in fact given byHim only,and is channelised through the particular deity. (Gita-Chap-7)कामसतसत- रतजञानाः परप नत-ऽनयदवताः ।त त िनयम-मासताय परकतया िनयताः सवया॥ २०॥यो यो या या तन भकतः शरदधयाचत-िमचछत।तसय तसयाचला शरदधा तामव िवदधा-मयहम ॥ २१॥स तया शरदधया यकत-सतसयाराधन-मीहत।लभत च ततः कामान मयव िविहतान िह तान॥ २२॥Krishna adds that He strengthens their faith in that particulardeity. Such devotees, who worship like this, will also progress incourse of time and reach higher forms of devotion and worship. The Lordsays that He will ensure their progress.The point to be noted here is that these deities are only Lord’smanifestations, and not eternal like the Lord. The Lord says inGita (8-16) that even the positions of the creator



Brahma and Indra are not permanent. They will go in time. Krishnasays this:आबर -भवना ोकाः पनरावतनोऽजन ।So, the rewards they offer cannot be permanent either. They willnecessarily be ephemeral orlimited by time.अनतवनत फल तषा त व-तयलपमधसाम ।दवान दवयजो या नत म कता या नत मामिप॥ २३॥Krishna terms these people who worship such deities as people endowedwith limited intelligence. This is because the effort they put into perform the worship, in the form of gathering materials, the time andmoney spent is the same as required to worship the Lord;but the result they get is limited. The reason is that their visionis limited.

The remedy lies in understanding what is said in Gita and otherscriptures and get a broader picture. One may worship any deity butwith the understanding that the deity worshipped is only the SupremeBeing that has no limitations. To facilitate such an understanding thestotras contain names that reveal this fact. For example, one ofthe 108 names of LakShmi (अ ोततर शत नामाव लः)is बर िवषण शवा तमका। That is, She is of the form ofBrahma, Vishnu and Siva.One of the 108 names of Subrahmanya is परबर । This is alsoone of the 108 names of Krishna. It also says सवरगरह पी ।.That is, Krishna is of the form of all planets. This fact is statedclearly in the Upanishads about the Supreme Being.For example, the Kaivalyopanishad says:स बर ा स शवः सनदरः सोऽकषरः परमः सवराट।स एव िवषणः स पराणः स कालाऽिगनः स चनदरमाः॥He is Brahma, He is Shiva, He is Indra, He is the Immutable, the Supreme, the



Self-luminous. He alone is Vishnu, He is Prana, He is Time and Fire,He is the Moon. A popular verse , which we recite during our prayers saysthis.आकाशात पतत तोय यथा गचछत सागरम ।सवरदव नमसकाराः कशव परत गचछत॥This verse says that just like the rain water falling in differentplaces ultimately reaches the sea,so do the worship offered to different deities reach the Lord.This is sufficient proof of the fact that a deity worshipped in anyform is a manifestationof the One Supreme Being only. So the Lord gets these names ( VS 725 and726)as एकः- परमाथरतःसजातीय-िवजातीय-सवगतभद-िविनमरकततवात एकः;एकमवाि तीयम (चानद.उप. ६। २।१) इत शरतः । andएक पः - एकमव पवासतव यसय सः एक पः । स एकः स एव दर इतशरतः॥SS(PP)(511). andas अनकः- मायया बह पतवात नकः; इनदरो मायाभः प पईयत(ब.उप.२। ५।१९) इत शरतः ।Alsoअनकमतः- अवतारष सवचछयालोकानामपका रणीबर ीमरत भरजत इतअनकमतः । ( VS 721) and शतमतः- नानािवकलपजा मतरयःसिवदाकतः सनतीतशतमतः । (VS 723).

सहसरमतः - सहसरसङखयाता अनकमतरयः, सवारतमकतवात,असय सनतीत सहसरमतः ।यतपर बर सवारतम त शरतः॥ SS(PP)(209) andबह पः - बर ािदसथावरानताकरण बह पः । इनदरो मायाभः प प इत



शरतः । SS(PP)(393).The Siva Mahimna Stotram (No.23) says this in a highly poetic fashion.तवमकर सतव सोमसतवम￭स पवनसतव हतवह-सतवमापसतव वयोम तवम धरणरातमा तविमत च ।प र चछ मव तवय प रणता िबभरत िगरन िव सत व वयिमह त यत तव न भव￭स॥Some hold this limiting opinion about You: You are the Sun; You are theMoon;You are the Fire; You are the Air; You are the Water; You are theSpace; You arethe Earth; and You are the Self. But we do not know that thing whichYou are not.

Worshipping any deity with such an expanded vision will bring in infinitelyricher results and also take our understanding of God to a higherdegree. Sri Bhagavatha says (5-7-5) that the king Bharatha performedthe religious rites with this idea in his mind and offered the resultsof the rites to the Lord with the knowledge that the differentdeities are only different limbs of the Lord.समपरचरतस नानायागष िवरचताङगिकरयषवपवर यत ततिकरयाफल धमारखय पर बर ण यजञप ष सवरदवता लङगाना मनतराणाअथरिनयामकतया साकषातकतर र परदवताया भगवत वासदव एव भावयमानआतमनपणयमिदतकषायो हिवःषवधव यरभः ग माणषस यजमानो यजञभाजो दवासतान प षावयवषवभयधयायत।

It is said that the king Bharata’s mind was thouroughly cleansedthrough the purity of his actions and he developed intense devotion to the Lord.

Swami Rama Thirta explains this with an interesting example. A lady goes toajeweller’s shop desirous of buying, say, a gold bangle. The salesmanthere displays various designs of bangles available with him. She doesnot look at the other items, also made of gold, on display or being shown to

other ladies there. She is taken by the form and the name bangle and



buys it. She makes the payment and goes away happilywith the bangles.. A thief enters the shop at night. He collects allitems of gold and makes good his escape. He does not bother whether theitem is a bangle or a chain or something else.That is, he is not taken by the form like the lady. The Swamipoints out that there is no such THING as

bangle or chain. Bangle and chain are only gold. Bangle and

chain are only names given to particular forms of gold. They donot have existance of their own. They depend on the gold fortheir existance but not vice versa. The gold can exist separately,independantly of the bangle and the chain. Such a thing, like goldin this case, which gives substance to otherthings is called Adhishtanam अध ानम । . Some more examples are:wood is the Adhishtanam for articles like chair and table made out ofit. One cannot bringa chair or table without bringing wood. Or, to put it bluntly, whenone is bringing a chair or table, he is bringing only wood.Clay is the Adhishtanam for pot and other items

made of clay. The names and forms like bangle and chain are notpermanent as they can be changed; but not the Adhishtanam gold whichgives them existance. It will continue to exist even after the bangleor chain is melted or made into a different item.In fact what we call as bangle or chain or by any other name isonly gold. Such items do not exist by themselves. The lady temporarilyoverlooks the Adhishtanam gold - the permanent substance - as her mindis set on the bangle. But the thief is wiser. He is after theAdhishtanam gold only. He is not fooled by the names and forms like

bangle and chain and as a result becomes richer. Theconclusion, the Swamiji says is,that most of us are struggling with the world of names and formsonly and may be termed as ajnanis.



But the wise thief, who goes beyond names and forms is like ajnani. He strikes it rich.

So at level 2, one can worship the deity as the Supreme Being, asbeing behind it, as the sourceand sustainer of all other forms of deities. Not surprisingly, oneof His names is (VS No.324)अध ानम ।- अधत नत भतािन उपादन-कारणतवनबर त अध ानम । मतसथािन सवरभतािन (गीता ९। ४) इतभगव चनम ।He has also the name सवरदवमयः । The suffix मयappended to any word

means made of or composed of. Thus we say the ornament is सवणरमय.It is gold and nothing but gold only. Gold pervades it in andthrough. Similarly, the Lordhas the name (SS950) सवरदवमयः ।. Any deity is nothing buta form and name of the Lord only.We have seen this said in this popular verse from Niti Sastra.म तपणडमक बहभाणड प सवणरमक बहभषणातमकम ।गोकषीरमक बहधनजात एकः परातमा बहदहवत ॥The vessels (made of clay) are different but the clay is one. Theornaments are many but the gold isone. The cows are many but the milk is one. (So also) the bodies aremany but the Lord is one.

This understanding will bring in rich dividends in the form ofmaterial gains and also spiritualprogress.Since He is in the form of all deities, the worship offeredto Him flows to all deities,which are His various forms only and as a result fetches thebenefits of worshipping them also.Sri Bhagavatha (8-5-49) illustrates this with an apt example.



यथा िह सकनध-शाखाना तरोमरलावसचनम ।एवमाराधन िवषणोः सवषा-मातमन िह॥Even as pouring water at the roots of a tree nourishes the trunk andbranches as well.even so worshipping the Lord Vishnu amounts to propitiating all aswell as oneself.Taking the example of bangle and chain discussed earlier, we see thatwhen the gold

is cleaned and polished, the ornaments bangle and ’chain getautomatically cleaned

and polished. Also when we weigh the bangle and ’chain, we are in factweighing the adhishtanam gold only. This brings home the idea conveyedall along. That is, worship offered to a deity in any form is indeedworship offerd to theSupreme Being only, but unknowingly. And worship offered to theSupreme Being isequivalent to worshipping all the deities.An incident in the life of the Tamil saint Sambandar illustrates thispoint. He wanted togo to Madurai, the capital of Pandyan kingdom. The kingdom was atthat time, undera wave of Jainism and the king too was under the spell of that religion.In view of this, it appears that his well wishers advised him todrop the ideaof visiting that place as they feared he may be harmed there.They added that the planetary positions also were not favourable forundertaking the journey. But the saint was not discouraged by suchthoughts. He recited tenverses through which he conveyed that the planets will do no harm tothe devotee of the Lord;but on the other hand they will do only good and much, much good



only. His vision was very clear.When one is under the Lord’s protection, the planets, who are Hisform only, will not harm him.So Sri Bhagavatha (2-3-10) says that a wise person, whether he hasmany desires ,or has no desires or he desires mokSha can worship the Lord andbenefit.अकामः सवरकामो वा मोकषकामः उदारधीः ।तीवरण भिकतयोगन यजत प ष परम ॥But we are only human . We are fascinated by the worldly gains likehealth and lucreas we feel they are near and are tangible and no attraction to thingslike God’s grace and salvationwhich sound distant and nebulous. Yama, the god of death, mentionsthis with sadnessin Kathopanishad. (1-2-2)शरय परय मनषयमत-

सतौ सपरीतय िविवनिकत धीरः ।शरयो िह धीरोऽभ परयसो वणीत

परयो मनदो योगकषमद वणीत॥He adds with regret that these people will be reborn and come to himagain and again.As an aside, it is to be pointed out that some devotees may call theSupreme Being bydifferent names such as Siva or Krishna etc. For example, the authourof Siva-mahimnaStotram says:महशा ापरो दवः that is , there is no Godsuperior to Maheshaor Siva. They may also add that they will not worship other deitieswho can give only petty benefitsor favours. For example we see Sri Sankaracharya saying so in his



famous work Sivanandalahari.सहसर वतरनत जगत िवबधाः कषदरफलदा

न मनय सवपन वा तदनसरण ततकतफलम ।ह र-बर ादीनामिप िनकटभाजा-मसलभ

चर याच शभो शव तव पदाभोज-भजनम ॥4..There are thousands of gods who can give petty benefits. I will noteven dream of worshipping them or seeking favours from them.O Shambo! I seek only Your lotus feet which is difficult to attaineven by Gods like Vishnu and Brahma, though they are near You.Prima facie, it will seem that the Acharya is speaking disparaginglyof Vishnu and Brahma. But, his intention becomes clear if we can seethat he is taking Siva as the Supreme Lord. All otherGods become His manifestations only and cannot give ever lastingbliss or mokSha like Him. In the same vein, Kulasekhara says inhis Mukundamala thus.पथवी रणरणः पया￭स कणका फलगससफ लङगो लघः

तजो िन सन म ततनतर रन सस म नभः ।कषदरा दरिपतामहपरभतयः क टाससमसताससराः

यतर स तावको िवजयत भमाऽवधतावधः ॥ २२॥He terms all gods including Rudra and Brahma as insignificant. Theidea is that when one realises that Lord alone is supreme and real,all other gods are only names and forms and so are unsubstantial andinsignificant. But all have said the one fact stated above, that isworshipping Him is the best thing to do.

॥ शभम ॥Encoded and proofread by N.Balasubramanian [email protected]



.. navagraha stotram with meaning and commentary ..was typeset using XƎLATEX 0.99996

on May 10, 2017

Please send corrections to [email protected]


· pdf filetitle ॥ सार्थनवग्रहस्तोत्रम् ॥ .....

Documents